Chapter 37: Night Attack on Nieduo

In a large house within Anuoyue City, Gao Xianzhi stared at the map in silence. There was still over a hundred li to reach Nieduo City. The plateau was flat, making it suitable for cavalry, and under normal circumstances, they could arrive before dark. However, the 20,000 Tibetan troops were only fifty li away from Nieduo City. If the Tang army failed to capture the city after a long siege and the Tibetans received word and rushed to reinforce them, their 8,000 troops would be in danger.
“How should we fight this battle?” Gao Xianzhi walked back and forth slowly, hands behind his back.
At that moment, a personal soldier reported, “General, Captain Li from the scout camp has brought the ruler of Anuoyue to see you.”
“Let him in!”
As the door curtain was pulled aside, Li Qing’an entered with Alilaitz. Alilaitz stepped forward, knelt down, and said, “I thank General Gao for saving Anuoyue City.”
Gao Xianzhi quickly helped him up and smiled, “Our Tang heavenly troops are here to drive away the Tibetans’ oppression. As long as you surrender sincerely, I will never harm you.”
“Thank you, General, for your kindness. We people of Xiaobuli hate the Tibetans’ exploitation deeply. We have suffered for so long and have been longing for the Tang army to come and rescue us at all times.”
Li Qing’an added with a smile, “Alilaitz told me that six out of the ten nobles of Xiaobuli support the Tang Dynasty. General, this is a great opportunity.”
Gao Xianzhi’s eyes sparkled as he suddenly came up with a brilliant plan. He laughed and said, “Qilang, you want to claim this merit, don’t you?”
Caught off guard, Li Qing’an immediately knelt on one knee and said, “Please, General, grant my wish!”
Gao Xianzhi nodded. “Very good. You’ve given me an idea. But I plan to let Xi Yuanqing carry out this plan. I’ll assign you another equally important task.”
Just as dusk fell, 3,000 Tang cavalry, led by General Xi Yuanqing, set off toward Nieduo City. The sky was covered with dark purple clouds. It wasn’t raining, and although it was midsummer, the night wind was still cold, cutting like a knife across the soldiers’ faces.
The cavalry moved silently, with no one speaking. All that could be heard was the rhythmic clatter of the horses’ hooves. The Tang army moved like a stream of black iron, charging toward Nieduo City in the south with fierce determination.
……
Inside the palace of Nieduo City, the lights were bright, and music played softly. A group of beautiful Tibetan girls were singing and dancing. King Subishi was holding a banquet. Besides the king and Tibetan princesses, several nobles from Xiaobuli also attended with their wives and daughters.
“My princess, you’ve already drunk three cups of wine. What makes you so happy?”

Princess Galan’s face was flushed red, her bright eyes shining with joy. She raised her wine cup and said softly, “How can I not be happy at the thought that I’ll get a fresh drum skin tomorrow?”
Subishi felt a pang of sadness. After all, she was his own eldest daughter, and she would have her skin stripped off after tonight. He truly felt distressed, but dared not show it.
Princess Galan glanced at him and said gently, “Has the king changed his mind again?”
“No! Since I’ve promised you, how could I go back on my word? She’s the daughter of that wench—I don’t care about her at all.”
Princess Galan smiled enchantingly. She stretched out her delicate fingers, picked up her wine cup, and said, “My king, let’s drink to getting the freshest drum skin. Tomorrow, I’ll personally play your favorite bare-back dance for you.”
At the thought of the princess’s soul-stirring bare-back dance, Subishi became excited, and his earlier sadness vanished. He raised his cup and laughed, “How exciting! Come, let’s drink to that.”
The two drank their wine in one gulp. At that moment, a guard came to report, “King, Princess Xuelian keeps crying and begging to see Your Majesty.”
Princess Galan smiled and stood up gracefully. “My king, let me go comfort her! Crying too much might affect the beauty of my drumming.”
“Go! Tell her it’s her fate.”
Princess Galan, trailing her long silk dress, arrived at a cell in the palace. She could faintly hear soft crying from inside.
She peered inside through the window and saw a girl in white sitting on a wooden bed. Her shoulders were thin, and heavy iron chains hung around her delicate ankles, making her look extremely pitiful. She was covering her face and crying bitterly, whispering pleas, “Father, please spare your daughter!”
“Xuelian, you’re about to meet your mother. You should be happy, not crying.”
Princess Galan’s voice was soft, as melodious as a spring stream.
The girl raised her head, revealing a beautiful face, though it was covered in tears. Seeing the princess outside, she quickly got up and ran toward her, but the chains pulled her back, causing her to fall heavily to the ground. She got up on her knees and begged, “Princess, please spare me! I’m willing to serve you wholeheartedly for life.”

“No!” Princess Galan gently shook her head. “You are the most precious jewel of Xiaobuli. How could I let you work as a beast? I will turn you into the most beautiful instrument in the world—using your bones as the frame and your skin as the surface. I will use you to play the masterpiece of the Snow Mountain Goddess. Snow Lotus, this is your honor. Thank me!”
The girl trembled with fear and could hold back no longer, collapsing to the ground and wailing loudly.
“Mother, please save me!”
Several guards outside the prison turned away, their eyes filled with pity. But Princess Galan snorted in displeasure. “Just as despicable as her mother, with not a trace of gratitude. Tomorrow, I’ll personally watch her be turned into a drum.”
With a wave of her sleeve, she walked away lightly, leaving only the girl’s desperate cries in the cell.
…
In the middle of the night, King Subishi was suddenly awakened by loud knocking at the door. “What’s going on?” he asked, extremely annoyed.
“Your Majesty, it’s bad news—a large group of Tang cavalry has been spotted ten miles away.”
“What!”
Subishi sat up abruptly. “How many are there?”
“About three to four thousand.”
Subishi was stunned for a moment before suddenly pushing Princess Galan beside him. “Princess, wake up quickly! The Tang army is here!”
Princess Galan was dreaming of a beautiful dream—she had a new drum with delicate, tender drumheads that produced heavenly sounds when struck. Suddenly awakened by the king, she complained playfully, “My king, why do you have to ruin my dream?”
“Stop dreaming. The Tang army is attacking.”
“Ah!” Princess Galan’s heart seemed to stop beating. Clutching her chest in terror, she asked, “W-what should we do?”
“What else can we do? Go get your seal and request reinforcements.”
While hastily getting dressed, Subishi said, “As long as we can hold off the Tang army until reinforcements arrive, we still have a chance.”
“Okay, I’ll get the seal.”
Princess Galan didn’t bother to finish dressing. She took a golden box from the bedside, unlocked it with a key, and took out a tiger seal—the seal used to command the Tubo army, a power only she possessed.
She opened the door and handed the seal to her personal guard. “Go quickly to the camp and ask Lun Ruozan for help. If he arrives even a moment late, my life will be in danger!”
…
Outside the city, Xi Yuanqing’s three thousand cavalry were less than five miles away from Nienduo City. The sound of their hooves shook the sky as they charged toward the city.